Ruffling attachment for sewing-machines



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. M. GRIEST.

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MAGHINES.

No. 319,707.. Patentd-June 9, 1885.

N, PETERS, P'wtoLHhograpMr, Wuhinglon, D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(N0 Model.)

J. M. GRIEST.

RUPPLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MAOHINES.

No. 319,707. Patented June 9. 1885;

Wit", e m- 6'6 l ammo STATES PATENT omet.

JOHN M. GRIEST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY OF NEW J ERSEY.

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,707, dated June 9, 1885. Application filed Octolier 27, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, JOHN M; GRIEST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ruffling Attachments for Sew- I ing-Machineaof which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings. to My invention relates to that class of sewingmachine ruftling attachments which are operated from the needle-bar of the machine, the present invention relating to improvements on the ruffling attachment covered by my Patent 1 No. 280,926, and embracing, among other features, certain means for rendering the device capable of being used either for rnffling or shirring, and of being quickly and easily changed to adapt it for one or the other of these classes of work.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are opposite side elevations of my ruffler with the separator-plate drawn back to adapt the device for shirring. Fig. 3 is a side view of my device with the ruffler-blade and its actuating mechanism removed and the separator-plate drawn back, as in Figs. 1 and 2, in operative relation to a separator-plate attached to a sewing-machine throat-plate, and Fig. 4 is a plan view 0 of the same. Fig. 5 is a' view like Fig. 4, liiut with the ruffler separator-plate thrown forward in position for ruffling. Fig. 6 is an under side perspective view of the attachmentplate carrying the separator-plate, which is 3 5 fastened to the throat-plate in shirring. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a Singer throat-plate, to which said attachment-plate may be fastened; and Fig. 8' is a detached perspective view to show the construction of several parts of my 0 device.

' A indicates the main plate or stock of my attachment, this part having a presser-foot, a, and being adapted to be removably secured to the presser-bar of a sewing-machine and to carry the ruffling-blade and its operating mech-- anism, as well as a separator-plate. The plate A is provided onits upper side with a rib, a, having a raised portion or protuberance, a from which projects laterally a lug or lip, a B is a slide having an arm to which the ruffling-bladeO is attached, said slide having a long slot, 1), embracing the rib a, one end,

b, of the slide being turned slightly upward,

so that it can ride over said rib. The rib a thus furnishes an extended wearing-surface 5' and a steady bearing for the slide 13,

To enable the slide to be placed in operative positionon the rib in assembling the parts of the-attachment, a notch, b corresponding in size and shape to the lateral lip a is formed in the slide B at one side of the slot 1), and when said slide has been arranged in its place said notch is partly closed in any suitable manher, as by spreading the metal at the sides thereof slightly, to prevent the displacement of the slide. V

The plate A hasa standard, a which sustains the mechanism for'operating the slide B, said mechanism being essentially the same as in my patent above referred to, and con- 7o sisting of a forked lever, D, and a traveling wheel, E, said lever being pivoted ona pin, d,vpassing through said wheel and working in a slot, a in the standard a, and said wheel having teeth engaging with similar teeth on the stationary standard a and the movable slide B. Thus as the lever D is vibrated by the sewing-machine needle-bar, a rotary and traveling movement will be imparted to said wheel, and the latter movement being communicated to the slide B the ruffling-blade carried by the latter will be properly recipro cated. v

The movements of the lever D are imparted to the wheel E by means of a stud, d, on the 8 former, working in a notch, e, in the latter,- and by an eccentric portion or cam, f, on a regulating-lever, F, pivoted to the lever D, said cam impinging against a lug, e, on the wheel E. As the lever D is raised, the stud d, after a certain necessary amount of lost motion, strikes against the upper wall of the notch e, and thus turns the wheel E to move the ruffling blade forward. As the lever D descends, the cam f will sooner or later, according to its adjustment, strike the lug e and turn the wheel E in a direction opposite to its first movement to move the rufliing-blade backward. The stud d is immovable on the lever D, and the notch e is not variable, and therefore :00 the ruffling-blade will always move forward to thesame point, the variation of the throw of said blade in forming ruffles of different sizes being all on the backward end of itsstroke.

The regulating-lever F has a small lug, f, normally sprung into engagement with a serrated segment, (1 on the lever D, to hold said lever F in any position to which it may be adjusted, and when said lug is at the top of said l segment, as in Figs. 1 and 2,th'e part of the cam f having the greatest radius will come in contact with the lug 6', so that thelost motion between the lever, D-and wheel E will be small,and the strokes of the rufliing-blade will consequently be. long; but when said lug is near the bottom of said segment the part of the cam having the smallest radius willstrike the lug e, thus leaving more lost motion of thelever D, resulting in short strokes of the ruffling-blade. V v

The regulating-lever F is a twoarmed or bell-crank lever, much like many of the regu 'lating-levers heretofore inn'se in this olassof attachments, excepting that the working portion of the shorter arm of said lever is made in the form of an eccentric or cam, f, soth'at the adjustment of the throw of the rufiiinginent of the regulating-lever as is" the case with the ordinary two-armed regulating-1evers; but the adjustment will vary, owing to the cam or eccentric on said lever. n It will thus be seen that when the, regulat-f ing-lever F is set for short strokes of the rut I fling-blade, or for fine rnfiles or gathers, the cam f presents that part of its acting surface nearest its pivot to the lug e on the wheel E,

- and as said lever is moved upward on theserf rated segment, the variation in the throw of the ruining-blade for a given adjustment of said lever will at first be very slight, this va riat'ion for a given adjustmentof the lever gradually increasing as the length of the strokes of the ruffling-blade is increased and the ruflles or plaits become wider.

G is the separator-plate, which is carried by an arm, h, of a plate, H, which is adjustably attached to the main plate A by ar'ivet,h, passing through a slot, h, in the said plate H, the latter having two upwardly-projecting lugs, h impinging against the edge of the plate A,to steady the plate II in place and to preserve its alignment with the plateA when adjusted. The plate H is providedwith two small holes, h lf, a distance apart about equal to thelength of the slot h and projecting be neath the under s'urface of the plates is a small pin, hi, fitting said holes. When the plate His in operative position, one or the other ofsaid' holes is engaged by said pin to lock the said plate in place on the plate A. By depressing the end h of the plate H, the

latter may be disengaged fromthe pin h, and said plate with its attached separator-plate may then be adjustedforward or backward the length of theslot 7i, the ends of the latter serving as stops to limit the adjustment of the said plate II. p

In the ordinary use of my device as a rufiler,

is being sewed. to use my device for shirring, or, in other the separator plate is thrown forward so that itsend is'beneath the presser-foot a,and the ruffling-blade then works against the separatorplate, which divides the strip being ruflled from the fabric passing below it, to which the ruffle When, however, it is desired words, for. gathering or. plaitingasingle thickness of fabric, usually at some considerable distance from the edge thereof, it is necessary to throw the separator-plate G out of working position or to remove the same entirely, and to substitute therefor a separator-plate attached to the work-plate of the machine, thus permitting the free passage of the goods to be plaited beneath the rufiiing device.

By means of the construction of partshereinbefore described, I amenabled to throw the separator-plate G out of working position simply by disengaging ,the plate H from the pin h, as above described, and thensliding said plate outward to theposition shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, when it is entirely out of the way of theruffiing-blade. A separator-plate, which is secured to the throat-plate or workplate of the machine,is then necessary to take the place of the plate G, and I prefer to fasten the substitute separator-plate I to the throat-plate J bymeans of an attachment-plate, K, to which the separator-plate =I'is fixed. H V p The plate K is'formed of thin metal, so that it will-spring somewhat, and is provided at its the throat-plate, and may bereadily removed therefrom by reversing this operation. v

I do not wish to claim the above-described attachment plate, broadly,,in this application, asthe same is embraced .by another application, No. 146,585, which I have filed simultaneously herewith; but, I p I Havingthus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a, rnfliing attachment for sewing-ma chines,the' combination, with the rufllingblade and its carrying-slide, of an actuating-lever having a stud, a traveling wheel havinga notch in which said stud is arranged, and also a lug, and an adj usting-lever carried by said act uating-lever, and arranged to impinge against the lug on said wheel, substantially as set forth.

V 2. In a mining attachment for sewing-inachines, the combination, with the rufliingblad'e, the actuating-lever and intermediate connecting mechanism, of a two-armed re'g'u lating-lever carriedby the former lever and having on its shorter arm an eccentric work-- the throw of the ruining-blade will be more rapid with a given adjustment of the regulating-lever when the strokes thereofv are long and the variation in thelengths of said strokes with such adjustment will be finer or less when the strokes are short, substantially as set forth.

3. In a ruffling attachment for sewing-machines, the main plate provided with a rib having a protuberance from which project laterally a lip or lug, aruffling-lolade, and a slide to which said bladeis attached, said slide having a slot in which said rib fits, and an upturned end riding over said rib, combined with mechanism for operating said slide, substantially as set forth.

pin on said main plate to enter said hole s,and thus lock the said sliding adjusting-plate and separator in different positions, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a ruffling attachment adapted to be secured to a sewing-machine above the work-plate thereof, of a resilient semicircular attachment-plate provided with a separator-plate, and having three depending lugs, one at each end and one near its center, whereby said attachment plate and separator are adapted to be removably secured to the throat-plate of a sewing-machine, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN M; GRIEST. 

